Non-Stop may have had the most effective advertising of any movie in recent memory. That Key and Peele tie-in sketch, for all its transparency, completely cemented the title of the movie in my consciousness. Now I haven’t actually loved any of these Liam Neeson tough guy movies, though I thought Taken was alright. Unknown and A-Team were completely forgettable. Still, there isn’t a lot of competition right now so I went out to see the conspicuously hyphenated Non-Stop, featuring the incomparable Liam Neesons. READ FULL REVIEW

Taken is a one-man show. Liam Neeson is that man, and he is bringing his A-game. You may hear Taken described as a pulse-pounding thriller, a relentless action film or a gritty revenge flick. All of those things apply, but probably the most apt qualifier is the one I can’t say: bad*ss. If you hear anyone summing up Taken with that word, be aware that they are not amiss. If you are one who balks at such language, you may want to grant some leniency to the offending party knowing that sometimes there just is not a proper synonym. This tightly-handled film, like its protagonist, is singular of mind and purpose and also very effective. FULL REVIEW